Doctor dismisses DSI’s theory into former Phuket land office chief’s death

PHUKET: The director of Mongkutwattana Hospital denied the Department of Special Investigation’s (DSI) theory that hospital staff’s resuscitation attempts on Tuesday (Aug 30) might have killed the former Phuket land office chief who was being held by the DSI in connection with issuing illegal land titles.

The Department of Special Investigation shows the cell where the former land official was allegedly found dead on Tuesday (Aug 30). Photo: Tawatchai Kemgumnerd

He also revealed that the DSI had failed to inform the hospital that the suspect had hung himself. Rienthong Nanna, director of the hospital, wrote on his Facebook page today (Sept 1) that the DSI had informed his hospital at 1:10am on Tuesday that Tawatchai Anukul fell unconscious and sought an emergency team from the hospital, which is around 5 kilometres away from the DSI office in Bangkok.

The team reached the DSI office at 1:15am and found Tawatchai in a critical condition. They started doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him and brought him to the hospital’s emergency room at 1:33am. The resuscitation was successful but he remained unconscious, the director said.

At 2:40am the man was moved to the critical care unit. His condition kept deteriorating. They continued to do CPR, but the man was pronounced dead at 4:45am.

Dr Rienthong said it was impossible that the CPR had caused liver injuries since the procedure involved the heart and lungs and had nothing to do with the liver.

“The resuscitation did not cause a ruptured liver or abdominal bleeding... Mongkutwattana Hospital has no idea why Tawatchai’s liver was ruptured. The question must go to the doctor who examined the body,” Dr Riangthong said.

On Wednesday, DSI director-general Paisit Wongmuang said an autopsy found the man had died of ruptured liver. He also said the CPR might have caused it.

On Tuesday, Col Paisit told reporters that Tawatchai committed suicide in his cell at the DSI headquarters due to tension from the prospect of prosecution.

The man was arrested for allegedly issuing land right documents illegally for about 1,000 plots in Phang Nga, Phuket and Surat Thani provinces.

The 66 year old, a native of Phuket, was a land official in southern provinces including Phang Nga and Phuket and was suspected of issuing illegal land rights documents to wealthy people.

He had been detained on the sixth floor of the DSI’s head office in Laksi after his arrest in Nonthaburi province on Monday (Aug 29). The DSI earlier said the man hung himself with socks tied to the hinge of his cell door.

Kurt...no that is only the headline. It can't have been a theory. It was part of the questions that are normally posed with deaths in custody. Not only that, but numerous other questions would have been asked. If I were the Coroner and these questions were not asked, I would be asking why weren't asked and to have them addressed.

Kurt| 02 September 2016 - 21:02:31

Thai Joe12 didn't read the head line of this article:--> .." Doctor dismisses DSI's theory"...etc, etc.
As we say, good reading is a art.

Joe12| 02 September 2016 - 14:13:18

Kurt...geez man get it right, there was no theory by the DSI, it was a question that was posed and no doubt one of many questions that were posed.